There is only one truth
by Himitsu Notebook
Summary: And as Heiji, Shinichi and Kaito find, that one truth is their feelings for the girls in their lives. a series of HeijixKazuha, ShinichixRan, KaitoxAoko oneshots.
1. Not my girl

Conan yawned brushing the strands of greasy tangled hairs back from his eyes to comprehend his surroundings. Somehow he had gotten used to waking up in this dirty horrible room filled with beer cans, cigarette butts, packets of peanuts and various other debris that indicated a good-for-nothing lazy adult. With a groan he slid from beneath his sheets and trudged towards the bathroom.

"Good morning, Conan-kun!" Ran sang cheerily as he entered the kitchen. She smiled down at him, a plate of buttered toast in her hands. Conan smiled warmly back up at her.

"Good morning Ran...". He scoped the room. Kogoro was probably next door, asleep at his desk in front of a TV, buried in rubbish as usual. Ran placed the toast on the table and seated herself. Conan clambered onto the chair beside her and helped himself to a piece.

"There's bacon and eggs on the way too. Would you like some apple juice?" Ran said in her normal motherly tone.

"Yes please." Conan grinned. How he loved it when she asked him questions like that. In some ways he enjoyed being a kid, being the center of her attention and being fussed over and cuddled by her like a puppy. But at the same time he yearned to be himself again. He wished he could learn forwards right now and kiss her, take her in his arms and tell her he loved her but he couldn't. Not like this.

Conan opened his mouth to take a bite of his breakfast but recoiled upon hearing a large cry from the room next door followed by several thumping footsteps. The door flung open fast enough to detach from its hinges as Kogoro tumbled onto the floor in a frenzy.

"Dad, whats up?" Ran stood, looking a little surprised.

"It's a case!" He grinned.

"A case? Whats so special about that?" Ran looked a little disappointed.

"Not only is there a case but the caller called me a great detective! Me! GREAT!" Kogoro guffawed loudly, drunk on his own sense of importance. Both Conan Ran let out a sigh.

"What is it this time...?"

"It's in Kyoto!"

"Kyoto?"

"Yeah! A series of murders took place in a Japanese style garden somewhere. I'm heading there in an hour!"

"An hour!?"

"Can't waste time in this business!" Ran flapped her lips as if silently protesting. Before she could actually say anything Kogoro had already stomped noisily out of the room. Ran swiveled round on her heels.

"Hear that Conan-kun? Kyoto! Won't that be fun?"

"Certainly!" _Great... _he thought_ ...another case for the old man to take credit for._

****

The garden was certainly beautiful. Cherry blossom petals floated down the sinuous rills to the glistening lake, which lay beneath an arch wooden bridge. Of course it would've been a lot more beautiful had it not been for the numerous corpses which defiled it, blood staining the grass. Conan surveyed the area while Kogoro was interviewing the client. _Certainly left a mess didn't they...? _As he scanned, a dark skinned figure lent against one of the tree's caught his eye.

"Hattori!"

The figure turned to confirm Conan's accusation. He grinned and made his way towards the "infant".

"Heey, Kudo!" he laughed, raising a hand. Conan smiled. "So what brings you to this neck of the woods?" Heiji asked sarcastically, sliding his hands into his pockets. Conan sniggered, indicating that he didn't plan to answer.

"So, how things?" Conan asked.

"I dunno yet, I haven't found any clues yet. I've interviewed a witness. I'm still working on this one.."

"Hmmm...". There was a long pause. "Kazuha here?"

Heiji laughed, almost nervously. "Yeah she is..."

"Heiji!" came a high voice.

"Speak of the devil."

Kazuha skipped up to her childhood friend. She turned her head to Conan briefly and they exchanged quick greetings.

"Say listen..." Kazuha mumbled, grasping her skirt nervously. "I know this probably isn't the best time but maybe later when you've finished working on this--"

"OMIGOD, I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HEIJI-KUN!" A loud girly voice came at the three like a large gust of wind. Heiji didn't recognize it. Suddenly a pair of pale slender arms were thrown around Heijis neck.

"Hey what the he--?" Heiji turned around to see who was hugging or possibly strangling him. He came face to face with a girl. But he'd never met her before. She obviously knew him.

The girl was beautiful, Heiji wouldn't deny that but not in the normal way. She was one of those people with a unique face. A completely unique face. Some people just don't have anyone that looks even slightly like them. Her layered hair was shoulder length and a burnt autumn-esque red-brown. Her eyes were wide and were the color of emeralds. What her name was and why the hell was she hanging off his neck Heiji hadn't the foggiest. Kazuha stared on, completely mortified.

"Heeei~jiii~kkuuun!" the girl brushed her cheek against his. "Omigod, I missed you so much!"

"Uuuh...Who are you?" Heiji asked bluntly.

"Oh, You don't remember me? I'm crushed!" she moaned, tightening her grip on Heiji rocking him back and forth. "It's me! Arisu! Remember? We used to be friends!" Heijis face was blank for a minute. Conan backed away slowly, dislocating himself from whatever the hell was going on.

"No, I don't remember...."

"Oh you silly!" she giggled, poking the side of his head. "Remember? We were at school together and were best friends!"

"Nope, nothing..."

"Don't tell me you forgot..." she suddenly lowered her volume, blushing faintly. "Our first kiss." The world stood still for a minute of so. Kazuha began to shudder. Heiji was speechless.

"We were in love...That night on the beach...You kissed me...and you said we'd be together forever...But then I had to go away to England...And we haven't seen each other since..."

"Look, I'm sorry...Umm...Arisu...I don't know you. I don't remember any of this!" Heiji sounded almost a little frustrated.

"It was so long ago, you must of forgotten!"

"No I don't think you forget things like that..."

"Hahahahahahaaa!" she laughed loudly "Well obviously you did! Just how I remember you! You're so forgetful Heiji-kun!"

"Hey!" A police man advanced towards the scene. "Girlie, you can't just waltz onto a crime scene like this. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

"Sure thing officer!" Arisu flashed a peace sign. She turned back to Heiji, her auburn hair flicking his face. "C'mon lets go!"

"Wait what?! No! Can't you see I'm working!" Heiji looked at her like she had just asked him to kill a relative.

"Oh you're so boring! Lets go on a date!"

"No! And get your arms off me!" Heiji shrugged her away harshly. Kazuha felt a strange sense of relief to see that he wasn't reciprocating Arisu's advances. Arisu stood for a minute.

"I...CAN'T...BELIEVE YOU!" She buried her head in her hands and began to weep. "You're so mean Heiji...What happened to you?" Heiji hooked a hand around the back of his neck and glanced aside awkwardly.

"Ha ha ha...Yeesh..." he sighed. "C'mon don't cry..." he placed a hand on Arisu's shoulder. Kazuha felt a sharp twinge in her chest. Why...? Why was seeing this girl hanging all over Heiji bothering her so much? Arisu looked up at Heiji, her eyes shimmering.

"So you...will take me out on a date?" she gasped, her voice brimming with hope.

"Hey! I didn't say anything like tha--"!!

"GREAT!" Arisu clasped his hand. "Lets go!" Before the Osakan teen detective could protest, she zoomed off dragging Heiji behind her helplessly like a rag doll. Kazuha stared for a minute in disgust before dashing off after them. What was with that girl? She just waltzes in here, a complete stranger claiming to be Heiji's first love and acts like Kazuha isn't even there now she wants to go on a date in the middle of a case? Well not if she had anything to say about it. Kazuha wasn't about to let some random kogal seduce Heiji. Besides...Heiji would never go for that kind of girl...would he?

Kazuha trailed behind the two, still completely unnoticed, as they walked the streets of one of Kyoto's pedestrian shopping districts. Arisu had her arm firmly locked around Heijis.

"Listen Arisu..." Heiji searched for the gentlest way to get rid of her. "I really really need to be getting back to the case a--"

"Oh wowweee! What a cute dress!" Arisu skidded to a halt almost dragging Heiji to the ground. She gawked at a mannequin in a shop window donning a baby pink summer dress decorated with white spots.

"Ooh, its so cute!" she gushed. "Heiji-kun, buy me that dress!" she said, hopping up and down excitedly while still fixed on Heiji's arm. Kazuha's jaw hit the ground. The...NERVE! Who the hell did she think she was. Watching was become nearly unbearable. Heiji currently resembled a goldfish, his mouth flapping uncontrollably.

"E-hem excuse me, but who do you think you are?" Kazuha spoke her mind clearly. She stepped forward and wrenched Arisu's arm away from Heiji's.

"Who are you?" Arisu scanned Kazuha, her face creased with disgust as if she was looking down on a something that had just crawled from the sewers.

"I'm Kazuha Toyama! Heiji's best friend!" she thumped a fist on her chest as she made this announcement. "And if you think that I'm gonna stand by while you get yourself a free dress out of Heiji you are wrong!". She spoke as if she were a policeman about to place Arisu under arrest.

"Heiji-kun's my boyfriend. This is what couples do, best friend-san!" Arisu had a sweet innocent look slapped on her face but Kazuha could see that beneath she was really sneering at her.

"Hey, I am not your boyfrie--!" Heiji yelled before being interrupted so rudely yet again. He didn't seem to be able to get a word in sideways when this girl was around. She just made her own rules and he had no choice to adhere to them.

"Heiji-kun! Lets get some ice-cream!"

Kazuha stirred the pale pink gloop in her bowl. She was in no mood to eat. Even though strawberry was her favorite flavor she just didn't want it. Arisu was happily wolfing her second helping.

"So Heiji-kun..." Arisu turned to him, setting her spoon down briefly. "What've you been up to while I've been gone?"

"Well, I...." Heiji paused and then let out a heavy sigh. He resisted the urge to yell at her "Not much..."

"Well, I thought about you every day! I still have that picture of when we went to the zoo together...But it's at home..." What the hell was she talking about. It wouldn't be possible for him to have forgotten all of this...unless he had amnesia but that didn't seem likely. Heiji took a spoonful of ice-cream. Arisu glanced at him.

"You've got some on your lips..." she purred, sliding a hand onto his face. Heiji went bright red. Arisu slowly moved her head towards his and ran her tongue across the side of his lips.

"Mmm...Delicious..." She giggled. Kazuha snapped loud enough to hear. Without another word she stood abruptly from her hair sending her bowl of ice-cream to the floor.

"Ka-kazuha!" Heiji extended a hand to stop her. Kazuha slapped his hand and stormed towards the door. The cafe was silent, all eyes on Heiji and Arisu. Heiji glared at Arisu.

"Hope you're happy." he snarled before treading heavily but hastily towards the door. Arisu crossed her arms and huffed loudly.

"Dammit..."

"Kazuha wait up!" Heiji called after the girl, maneuvering his way through pedestrian traffic.

"Go away!" she screamed, turning her head back to him slightly.

"Kazuha, what are you so mad about!?" Kazuha slammed on the breaks so hard, Heiji almost collided with her back.

"Why am I mad? WHY THE HELL DO YOU THINK?" she yelled, so close to his face their noses touched. "Try that...that...BIMBO who's been hanging off your arm for the last hour!"

"Bim—Hang on! I don't care about her! I don't even know who she is!"

"Then why is she saying that you were her first kiss?"

"I don't know! I'm just as confused as you are!

"Puh! Don't act like you didn't enjoy her licking your lips!"

"I DID NOT!"

"You know what, JUST GO OUT WITH HER! HELL, WHY DON'T YOU SLEEP WITH HER WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!" Kazuha screamed stomping her foot. The bickering couple had accumulated quite an audience by now.

"WHY ARE YOU SO WORKED UP ANYWAY? YOU'RE JUST MY FRIEND AREN'T YOU?" Kazuha suddenly shrunk, lowering her head.

"Hei...ji...You..." she whimpered. "YOU DUMBASS!" She drew back her hand and stuck Heiji hard across the face. He stumbled backwards clutching his cheek. Her eyes were brimming with tears, her face emitting enough heat for him to feel where he stood. Before Heiji could say another word. Kazuha turned and ran, pushing her way through the crowd. Heiji just stood there. His fingertips brushing his cheek. Why did she slap him? Could she be...?

****

Ran was stood at the sliding paper doors of the little traditional Japanese house they had rented out for the duration of the case, sweeping leaves when she saw Kazuha storm past.

"Hey Kazuha!" Ran almost perused her friend but halted as Kazuha tore into the forest which the house boarder lined. Ran stood looking a little confused but continued to sweep the leaves. About 2 hours later, Heiji flew past her like lightning while she was closing up the doors to keep to mosquitoes out...Lovers quarrel?

Kazuha's feet pounded the earth, scattering grass and other debris as she ran.

_Why is Heiji so dense!? _Before Kazuha knew what was happening a root caught her trainers and she was flung to the floor. For a minute she lay there silently face down on the ground wallowing in the hopelessness of everything. She could run and run but what good would it do? All of a sudden she found herself becoming very tired. Why did she have this sudden urge to sleep? She rolled over and stared at the tree branches, woven so thickly the sky was no longer visible. She sighed.

_Why? Why all of a sudden do I feel like this...? I never...until she came along... I never realized how much...I wanted him...But I can't act like she does. I'll always be just his friend. I but he doesn't even feel anything more than that for me... _Kazuha's eyelids began to grown heavy. Slowly everything faded to black.

Suddenly Kazuha was dreaming. She saw Heiji sitting in the cafe and she was screaming at him but couldn't get any reaction whatsoever. She saw herself being swept away in a harsh raging ocean while Heiji and Arisu stood at the shore, wrapped in one another's embrace. She kicked and flailed attempting to make it back to the shore but the sea swallowed her whole. She saw herself turning into an ant and Arisu stamping on her and squishing her to the ground. She saw Heiji shirtless, pushing her up against her bedroom wall kissing her passionately, his arms wrapped around her waist.

"...ha..."

"...azuha...!"

"KAZUHA!"

Kazuha's eyes snapped open. She was drenched with sweat, her heart pounding and her breathing heavy. Heiji was knelt down, gazing upon on her from above, a hand on her shoulder. Her face went bright scarlet.

"You didn't have to yell I was just sleeping!" Kazuha said, hastily adopting an irritated tone to hide the dreams that she'd been having about him. Heiji looked shocked.

"Hey, I jus--" Kazuha sat bolt upright.

"You didn't even check , you just flew into panic! Some Detective you'll make!"

"Oh, so this is the thanks I get?!"

"What for!"

"For worrying about you!" Kazuha's expression altered immediately, suddenly softening.

"Heiji..."

"I searched everywhere for you!" Heiji half-yelled. "You worried me so much!" Both parties were blushing furiously averting their eyes. Although Kazuha wasn't about to give in just like that.

"Liar..." she spat. "You were probably making out with Arisu on a park bench somewhere...Eating more ice-cream...licking each others lips..."

"Hey that was uncalled for!" Heiji raised his voice even more. "Why won't you listen you idiot! I don't care about her!"

"LIAR!" Kazuha screamed again. Heiji opened his mouth as if he were about to make a comeback really loudly but then quickly backed down, gritting his teeth. He stood abruptly.

"CAN'T YOU SEE IT!?" He yelled. Kazuha's heart was beating so fast she began to feel faint. "I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU!"

The world stopped for what seemed like an eternity. Kazuha stared up at him, her face hot and flushed. Heiji, without warning, turned on his heels and ran. A droplet hit Kazuha's nose. Suddenly the rain began to pour. Just pouring and pouring on the poor befuddled girl.

****

Ran stroked Conan's head, running her fingers through his hair, as he lay on her lap. The two were sat in front of a warm fire, humming away in the stone fireplace. Ran smiled down at the sleeping child. How cute he looked...Suddenly the sliding door flew open. Ran turned, carefully setting Conan's head aside as she stood. Kazuha stood in the doorway, drenched with rain, panting heavily.

"Is Heiji here?" she breathed.

"Kazuha you're soaked!" Ran jogged towards her friend, face full of concern.

"Have you seen Heiji? Did you see him pass by or...is he in here...?" Ran stared at her drenched friend. What exactly happened between those two?

"I haven't seen him..." she replied quietly. "But if you're gonna go out again, please take an umbrella!" Ran bent and pulled one from the umbrella rack. Kazuha accepted it and smiled.

"Thankyou." Before Ran had a chance to ask what happened, Kazuha had already opened her umbrella and left.

Heiji trudged through the rain. He was soaked right through to the bone, his hair hanging down over his eyes, his clothes stuck to his body but he didn't care. Now how was he supposed to face her. What if she didn't feel the same way? What if she laughed at him and called him stupid?_ Ooh, look the big brainy detective is in love, haha! _Dammit! Why did he have to say that! He stared up from his mud splattered trainers. Of all the places he could've run to he ended up here, the cherry blossom tree. He remembered staring in awe at her as she sung her sweet song in front of this tree as a child. But she didn't know that she was his first love. He'd never tell her. Heiji ran his hand along the rough, damp bark of the tree. A petal landed on his hand. A single tear ran down his cheek.

"Heiji!"

He turned. Sure enough, there she was, bent over slightly, out of breath with one hand on her knee to support herself. Heiji hid how happy he was to see her with a harsh glare.

"Go away." Kazuha looked crestfallen.

"But Heiji I--!"

"JUST GO!" There was silence. He could see tear drops forming at the corners of her eyes. She dropped her umbrella, which splashed into a puddle.

"YOU IDIOT!" she cried, her voice cracked. Before Heiji knew what was going on, she threw herself into his arms, clutching the wet fabric of his shirt. She was shivering. Heiji stood for a minute, to shocked to react but then slowly slid his arms around her, and held her tight.

"I love you..." she cried softly. Heiji looked down at her, she looked up at him, her eyes wide and flowing with tears. Her expression then softened as she began to move her face closer to his.

"Ka..." Then their lips met. Kazuha pulled away slowly, a worried look in her eye. Heiji's face was blank. _What is he going to do? What if he hates me now? _But suddenly, without warning, Heiji's grip on her tightened severely, to the point she almost cried out in shock, as he lunged towards her locking their lips together again, resuming their kiss only with twice the power. Kazuha let out a startled gasp as Heiji slowly began to move his tongue into her mouth.

"Hei...ji...!" she gasped in the few seconds tha he broke away for air. After the initial shock Kazuha eventually slid her hands onto Heiji's shoulders and around his neck and pulled him closer to her.

Ran let out a small gasp from her hiding place behind the shrine. Curiosity had got the better of her. Watching the couple wrapped in each others embrace almost made her slightly jealous in a way. Why couldn't Shinichi come back to her? Why couldn't they share a moment like this? Unable to watch anymore, her emotions swirling and conflicting at the pit of her stomach, she turned and made her way back to the house.

Heiji took Kazuha's small shivering hand in his and slowly began to lead her away from the cherry blossom tree, back to the Japanese house where they temporarily claimed residence. Heiji slid the paper door open. No-one was to be seen. Hastily he lead Kazuha through the front room, down the corridor and to his bedroom. Ran sat behind the door of her own room, listening intensely, her heart beating fast with excitement. What was going to happen now? Ran heard the door to Heiji's room slide shut quietly.

Softly as if he were setting down a sleeping child, Heiji lowered Kazuha down onto his bed. Slowly he tugged away the wet fabric of her sweater. Kazuha's heart skipped a beat when she felt his hands slowly moving up her waist dragging her dress with them. Heiji began to remove his shirt, exposing his perfectly shaped masculine figure. He wrapped his strong arms around her, his powerful body pressing against hers.

"Kazuha..." he whispered softly as he slid his lips onto hers again. Slowly Heiji broke the kiss and nestled his head in her shoulder placing kisses on her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

"Be mine." Heiji said softly. Kazuha nodded as she slid her arms round his neck and pulled him closer.

Ran was crouched outside the door with her ear pressed up against the wall. She felt a little bit naughty listening in on them like this but she was just to curious. She knew this was bound to happen eventually. Heiji and Kazuha...it was inevitable. Feeling happy for the couple, she tiptoed back to her room. They'd found happiness in one another, now what about her?

So it turned out Arisu wasn't Heiji's first love...Which of course he knew very well she wasn't. He knew she wasn't. Kazuha was the girl he saw playing by the cherry blossom tree and she was his first love. And of course, no he never had met Arisu before or kissed her. But she had attended his school, which Heiji found by flipping through his old middle school yearbook. She was in his class and apparently had a crush on him the whole time, and he plan was to try and make him believe she was his lost love, information Heiji managed to obtain in a harsh confrontation. He never saw her again. He forgot her. But Heiji and Kazuha's friendship and love burnt strong. Never to be extinguished.


	2. Don't say lazy

Aoko flipped open the lid of her cellphone again. Time: 9:45. _Ack, its late. Dads gonna kill me! _Aoko quickened her pace. The dark backstreet's of Tokyo where no place for a girl her age especially this late at night. To calm her nerves she quickly jammed her earphones in position and switched on her MP3. _Lalala, I am not scared hmm hmm...._ she repeated in her head. Aoko let out a shriek upon hearing a loud clank from behind. She let out a breath of relief to see it was an alley cat fishing for food in a dustbin. She hit the volume on her MP3.

_Please don't' say "You are lazy"  
because I'm actually crazy!  
The swans, that's right  
what you can't see is that they thrash about when swimming!  
I'm obedient and loyal to my instincts, I'll even accept being made fun of!  
A bright future is offered to me…  
that's why I take a break once in a while. _

She must of looked like a right idiot loudly singing to herself (out of pitch to boot) in a dark alley way but she felt a little less nervous that way. Being the daughter of a police inspector had made her pretty wary of everything that could happen in this sort of situation. Suddenly she was bowled over by a tidal wave of terrible thoughts of all that could happen to her out here. She could be mugged, or kidnapped, or...*ehem*-d or even killed! "_Very re-assuring Aoko!" _she cursed in her head. "_Why are you such a pessimist?" _More disturbing things began to invade her senses. _Is there someone in the shadows? What was that noise? I feel like there's someone behind me! _A large crash came from afar which shocked Aoko so much she immediately threw herself to the ground, assuming the fetal position. Was that gunfire? A scream? A car accident?

"Its ok! It's ok!" she re-assured herself out loud. "No-one's here! I'll be fine! Just fine!". She began to sob softly rocking herself backwards and forwards.

_With these eyes I'll confirm  
my destination and mark it on my map!  
If there's a shortcut, that would be easier,  
if there are wings to make it even shorter, it would be great! _

_Damn! I broke a nail, so I fixed it with glue.  
With that I somehow I got a feeling of achievement.  
The important thing is to love oneself,  
if you don't love yourself, you won't love other people. _

Suddenly music was stopped abruptly as the headphone was so harshly yanked from her ear. Aoko's worst fears had just snuck up behind her. She didn't dare turn around.

"Whats a girl like you doing out here on your own this late at night?" came a gruff voice from behind her. Already she was picturing some tall slender guy in a leather jacket with glasses and a bandanna with his hench sidekick who was more brawn than brains. Aoko let out a whimper.

"Hey girlie! I'm talkin' to you!" came the same voice as a hard boot collided with her back sending her toppling forwards. She groaned in pain.

"Hey Taku, maybe she's insane, I mean she was fucking singing to herself." came an even gruffer voice. This guy was definitely the dumb sidekick.

"Heh, Maybe she is." sneered "Taku". "Hey! I wonder if she'll mind if I do this?" Taku slipped his boot beneath her skirt and flipped it up giving the two men a clear view of her panties. Aoko shrieked, hastily tugging her skirt down, while the men jeered at her all the while. Aoko felt like crying. She turned to see her attackers. Her mental image of them fit their actual appearances perfectly. The man who was supposedly called Taku was tall, like she pictured, with shoulder length blonde hair poking from beneath his bandanna adorned with skulls or some sort of heavy metal bands name. His eyes were shielded by a large pair of sunglasses supported by a long slightly crooked nose which stood above a merciless sneering grin, a cigarette jammed between his uneven teeth. The other man who had yet to be named, resembled a heavy weapons man from Team Fortress 2 (She had witnessed a lot of the game, it being Kaito's favorite) skin-headed and a hench figure donned with a bomber jacket with the sleeves removed (probably by hand or scissors) covering a khaki colored t-shirt and large biker gloves. Taku let out a wolf whistle.

"Whoo, she's a cutie this one!"

"Nice pair o' legs on her" the Team Fortress guy commented.

"Nice ass too." Aoko didn't like where this way going at all.

"Say, how about we have ourselves some fun?" Taku commented, raising an eyebrow suggestively at his partner in crime.

"Fuck yeah." Aoko let out a scream as the men drew closer to her. Her feet franticly scratched the gravel as she attempted to make her escape. Taku bent down and harshly grabbed hold of her wrist. Aoko let out a scream only to be slapped across the face by Taku. Her vision became slightly hazy. Her mouth tasted like blood.

"Knuckles, hold her legs down!" _Knuckles... how cliché_ Aoko thought although that was the least pressing of matters right now. Taku harshly grabbed hold of her shirt and tugged hard, ripping the fabric down the front. Aoko's vision was becoming increasingly hazy.

"Stop right there!" came a voice. Aoko saw what looked like a bed sheet falling from a washing line.

"Who the hell are you?" Everything was black now. Aoko could only hear.

"Wait! Taku, this guy is--!" Aoko heard a couple of loud thuds and moans of pain from both Taku and Knuckles then the sound of bodies hitting the ground. Had the mysterious bed sheet killed them? She felt a silky gloved hand sliding it's way around her back and hoisting her upright. She could hear his heart beating as he cradled her against his chest.

"Are you okay...?" Aoko's vision was still hazy. She could barely make out the face of her protector. He looked sort of like a chimney.

"I'm fine..." He was pulling off one of his gloves. Why? He raised it to her mouth and wiped away a trickle of blood.

"Its OK, Aoko, I took care of those guys for you." Hang on, how did he know her name?

"Who are you...?" Aoko groaned. She wasn't sure but the chimney/bed sheet looked as if he was grinning.

"A friend."

"Your voice sounds familiar."

"Like I said, I'm a friend."

"Who?" He paused.

"A friend."

"Stop that."

"What? You asked, I answered. I'm your friend!"

"Yes, but I need a little more information than than..."

"Not only am I your friend but now I am your escort for the evening. Shall we...?"

"Whoa, hey what're you--" Aoko felt herself being lifted from the ground and into this mysterious strangers arms. Her vision was becoming less and less clouded. She could see a top hat and a monocle and a moonlight white grin.

"Hold on now, Aoko." Without warning, her mysterious protector suddenly took to the sky like a giant white bird in the night. Aoko felt the wind beating down on her face and he rose higher and higher. Her protector obviously wasn't normal. How romantic. To be saved by a wizard or a demon or being like that. Suddenly he stopped and all was tranquil. Aoko opened her eyes and let out a gasp.

"Waaa-aah! We're so high!" Her masked protector held her close to him. Aoko's heart let out a loud thump. She looked slowly up at his face.

"Ka...Kaito Kid?!" she gasped, in mortified horror. He grinned at her.

"I suggest you don't struggle, We're very high up."

"How do you know my name!?" Aoko yelled trying her best to be intimidating. It wasn't working very well. She was blushing furiously. Somehow she was enjoying being held in the Phantom thief's arms, his warm hands grasping the fabric of her clothes. She noticed he had tied her torn shirt up using his tie...She didn't remember him doing that. Even so it made her feel slight warm inside.

"Lucky guess?"

"Oh shut up!" Aoko huffed and began pounding the Kid's chest with her fists frantically. It didn't seem to have much effect. "Put me down this instant or I'm calling the cops!" Aoko fingered around inside her pocket. "Hey, where's my--?" She slowly raised her head to see Kaito grinning down at her smugly, dangling her cellphone from his fingers by one of the phone charms.

"HEY! Give that back!" Aoko lunged and flailed but Kaito continued to wave it around, as if he was teasing a kitten with a toy mouse.

"If you want it come and get it!"

"Give it back!"

"Oooh, so close!" he jerked it out of her reach again.

"Stop it!"

"Not quick enough!"

"Gimme the phone!" Kaito began to snigger. Aoko crossed her arms and glared up at him red faced with embarrassment. Suddenly the phone began to hum the song "Kimi Ga Ireba". Aoko looked up at Kaito in horror. He flicked the phone open to see the caller ID.

"Oh, Its inspector Nakamori!" He grinned at her.

"Don't you da—!" Too late. Kaito pushed the answer button and wedged the phone between his ear and shoulder.

"Aoko, where the hell are you! Do you have any idea what time it is young lady!". Aoko's fathers voice was clearly audible even from where she was.

"Hello there old man! Hows every little thing?" Kaito said casually, as if he were addressing an old friend. Aoko watched helplessly.

"Old ma--? Who is this?" Inspector Nakamori bellowed.

"Kaito Kid." There was a stunned silence. Aoko wondered how her father would react.

"KAITO KID?! YOU SCOUNDREL! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY DAUGHTER!?"

"Oh, don't worry old man, I can assure you she is in good hands." Kaito chuckled, squeezing Aoko's shoulder, making her feel a little uncomfortable.

"LET HER GO THIS INSTANT OR I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND GUT YOU LIKE A FISH! DO YOU HEAR ME KAIT--" Kaito hung up. He turned to Aoko, a satisfied grin plastered across his face.

"Well now your father knows where you are, lets go for a night out on the town."

"NO!" Aoko yelled. "I'd rather fall to my death!" True to her word Aoko began to struggle flailing her legs and striking out at Kaito.

"Stay still, you'll kill us both!" he complained, desperately trying to keep his grip on the girl. Suddenly in a harsh jerking movement he pulled her closer to him, causing her to collide with his chest. Her body was pressed right up against his. Aoko blushed.

"Kid..."

"Stay still alright?" Aoko simply nodded, too shocked to say anything. "Now" he whispered gently into her ear. "We're going to the Yotsuba Jewelery Gallery in central Tokyo. I need you as my hostage."

"What? Hostage?!"

"Don't worry I won't hurt you. I simply need someone's head to press a gun barrel up against should the police show up so I can escape. Especially since your dad will be there."

"Bu-but!"

"I would prefer it if you co-operated...Aoko." he smiled at her, almost seductively, while tracing a finger along the curve of her cheek. Aoko was struck speechless.

"Hold tight." Kaito pulled a strap on his glider, which Aoko assumed was the breaks release because the minute he pulled it the two were suddenly hurled into the air as if they had been hid by a tornado. Aoko let out a loud scream.

"I'd advise you keep quiet! I don't want to draw attention to myself!" Kaito yelled over the wind.

"Could you slow down a little bit?"

"5 good reasons."

"KID! WATCH OUT!" Kaito turned just in time to see the skyscraper hurtling towards the couple. Aoko felt as if her foot was tied to a rope and someone had just tugged on it really hard, but Kaito was pulling her back as he made his maneuver. They were now flying around the towering glass building on a vertical slant. Aoko continued to scream over Kaito's protests. Suddenly the glider jerked back upright and resumed a steady pace. Aoko's throat was hoarse from screaming and she wasn't sure when it happened but it seemed as if she had thrown her arms around Kaito's neck.

"Please tell me if you're going to do that again!"

"Don't worry. We're nearly there." As Aoko flew high above the city, wrapped in the Kid's embrace, she began to find that she was actually enjoying herself. Why? She had always hated the Kaito Kid? So why now was her heart beating so fast? She was sure it wasn't because she was scared. Every time she stole a glance at his face, her heart began to beat faster and faster...yet something about him seemed disturbingly familiar.

"Comfortable there?" he asked, with a smirk.

"I think I'm going to throw up..."

"Ah!" Kaito exclaimed. "There!" He extended a finger to indicate to Aoko their destination.

"So thats the Yotsuba Jewelery Gallery?"

"Yep. You might wanna plug your ears, this will be loud." the Kid reached around inside his pockets and after a few minutes of searching produced a large gun, which Aoko assumed was an Uzi (Her gun identification skills were above average due to her fathers occupation), and aimed for the window.

"Wa-wait KAITO! You might kill someone!"

"I've done the calculations before hand. There are guards stationed on the north side of the building and we are coming in from the east. Don't worry about it!"

"But--!" Aoko let out a yelp as the gun fired, the force pushing them back slightly. Aoko only expected the window of the building to smash but instead a large explosion went off, billowing out like a sunflower opening in fast motion, shattering several of the windows. Aoko saw blue and red lights flashing on the city roads beneath her.

"Thats your old man, right on time." the Kaito Kid smirked. Aoko remained quiet, simply glaring at her captor/savior. Kaito pulled another strap on his glider and it gradually began to fold itself away and become a normal cape again as the Kaito Kid glided gracefully through the smashed window. The explosion hadn't started a fire luckily. He set Aoko down gently. All of a sudden her knee's became weak and she lost her footing.

"Hey careful!" Kaito lunged to catch her in his arms. Aoko collapsed into the white fabric of his suit.

"I'm sorry...I'm just a..." as she raised her head, her eyes met with the Kids and all of a sudden her heart stopped. But before she had a chance to speak, Kaito averted his eyes pulling his hat down to shadow his face as if he were afraid of her getting a proper look at him.

"C'mon." Aoko felt his hand clasp hers as he began to lead her through the building. As the walked they passed a magnificent gemstone, large and glistening, the color of moonlight that reflected in Aoko's eyes as she stared.

"Thats the pride of the Tokyo jewel industry." Kaito answered before she even had a chance to ask. "It's unknown as to what type of stone this is. I have a feeling this might be the one."

"Huh?" He turned to her, a smile on his face.

"The Pandora."

"Pandora! I've heard of that." He released her hand.

"Aoko would you mind keeping guard? I need to disable the security."

"Um...Okay! Sure!" Aoko nodded frantically and made herself comfortable next to the display case. As the Kaito Kid made his was down the corridor she couldn't help but feel like he wasn't going to return. She rested her head against the glass and took a moment to comprehend the situation. Did this make her a criminal. Was she an accessory to his robbery? What if she was arrested? Although he claimed she was his hostage, Aoko couldn't help feeling like he had brought her along for some other purpose, more like a partner in crime. Her heart began to beat with excitement just thinking about it. Aoko leaped at the touch of a hand on her shoulder. To her relief it was only the Kid. She didn't even notice that he had already removed the gem and was holding it beneath his arm. She gaped in awe at its beauty.

"Do you want to touch it?" Kaito held it out to her.

"O-ok." Aoko reached out and ran her hands along the jagged edges off the stone. It was smooth like glass. It almost felt like a sort of power to be able to hold an item of such beauty.

"It's beautiful." Kaito crouched down beside her.

"Like you."

"What?" She turned to him to fast her hair flicked his face. "Don't tease me like that!"

"I'm not teasing." All of a sudden his expression hardened, the man who had seemed to her like such a joker suddenly now seemed so serious all of a sudden. He slipped one gloved hand, stained with her blood from earlier onto her face and began to stroke her cheek tenderly.

"Ki-kid stop it..." she stuttered.

"Aoko, I need to tell you somethi--" That very moment the door burst open and heavy footsteps began to pound the floor. Kaito hooked a hand round Aoko's arm and stood at the speed of light and turned to face the police.

"POLICE, FREEZE!" A hotheaded sergeant was aiming a gun right at Kaito's forehead. Aoko was shocked at how casual he was, maintaining a mischievous grin. Suddenly, much to Aoko's horror, Kaito slid an arm round her waist and pulled her closer to him almost violently. She held her breath.

"AOKO!" It was inspector Nakamori. Aoko was somewhat relieved to see him but in another way she wasn't. Him being here meant that the Kaito Kid and her were supposed to be enemies now...But already she felt like he was her best friend.

"Dad!" she cried, in something of a feigned tone of relief. The Kid glanced at her briefly and then jerked her closer so his lips touched the edge of her ear.

"Don't worry, the gun isn't even loaded." Kaito whispered straight into Aoko's ear, causing her hairs to stand on end.

"Kid, LET MY DAUGHTER GO THIS INSTANT." the Inspector cried. Kaito winked at Aoko. This was obviously some sort of unknown cue. Kaito flung his hand out, the gun sliding from his leave. Aoko yelled out in surprise as he pressed the barrel against.

"Put your weapons down now, or the girl gets it!" Aoko let out a small whimper, despite his reassuring her earlier. The police officers began to recoil slightly. Aoko though for sure Kaito would just hand her over to the police officers and leave with the gem... Then a gun fired. Kaito let out a cry. Aoko screamed in horror at the gaping bullet wound in Kaito's shoulder. He began to wobble, then he fell backwards, straight out the window....dragging Aoko with him.

Everything suddenly became a blur. Her father called but she didn't hear it. As if someone had pressed the mute button on their TV everything was silent as her a Kaito began to plummet. Then she came to her senses. They were free falling without his glider. Kaito had passed out.

"KID! WAKE UP!" she screamed, her arms wrapped around his neck. "KAITO KID!" She snaked her hands around his back and felt for a release or something to set off his glider. No such luck. The ground drew closer and closer. _Thats it! I'm going to die!_

"KAITO PLEASE!" He tears flew upwards as they fell. "KAAAITTTTOOOO!" Suddenly, she felt his hand crawl across hers as he placed a strap in her. He was awake after all! Aoko gave a hard tug and suddenly they were trust upwards. Aoko felt as if she was going to wrench Kaito's head right off his shoulders. Kaito pulled another leaver. They grinded to a halt, floating like a cloud in midair,

"Kaito!" she cried with joy. He smiled meekly at her. She noticed his monocle was missing. Aoko, curious to see who he really was lifted the hat from his head and placed it on her own and began to brush the strands of stray hair from his eyes. Aoko gasped, recoiling slightly.

"K...Kaito?" Sure enough, smiling back at her was her childhood friend. The boy she had grown up with. The boy she loved. The emotions ran through her so thick and fast, she had no idea how to react. But apparently she didn't have to. Kaito moved his head closer to hers, and gently planted her a kiss. Aoko felt as though sh could fly, even without the glider, as if she had sprouted a pair of wings of her own. She blushed as he touched her lips softly with his fingertips. All of a sudden, the moment was ruined by the harsh sound of beating helicopter blades, the wind blowing Aoko's hair in her eyes preventing her from seeing. A pair of rough hands hoisted both her and Kaito into a police helicopter. Aoko collapsed on the seat next to a police officer while medics began to fuss over Kaito.

"Are you okay miss?" the police officer asked turning to Aoko. She nodded breathlessly.

"Never better."

Aoko was bustled into the hospital followed by a group of noisy policemen carrying Kaito on a stretcher. She was instructed to stay put as she was thrown onto a chair in the waiting room outside the operating theater. An hour had passed since. Aoko sat nervously clutching her skirt, biting down on her lip. Her father sat next to her and slid an arm round her shoulder. She looked up at him, her eyes full of tears.

"Is he going to pull through Dad?"

"He'll be fine, just a minor bullet wound..."

"Please don't arrest him..." she pleaded, her voice cracking.

"Aoko sweetie, he's stolen over a million yen in jewelery and gemstones in the past 3 months alone--"

"He's not a bad person! Please!"

"Aoko....Look...I can't just let him go..."

"But Dad you don't understand--!"

"No it's you that doesn't understand! It doesn't matter that he's your best friend! What he has done is wrong. He has committed numerous criminal offenses including theft, destruction of private property and...!"

"Nothing else! Why can't you just let bygones be bygones!"

"You can't dismiss things like that!"

"But...But I...I lo..."

"INSPECTOR NAKAMORI!" A red-faced hospital staff member appeared at the waiting room door, clearly out of breath.

"What is it!" Nakamori looked up from his weeping daughter.

"Kuroba dissapeared!" Aoko raised a hand to her mouth to hide her delighted grin. "We had finished the operation and he was left in his hospital room and the policeman stepped out for a minute and when he came back the Kaito Kid had dissapeared!"

"WHAT!?" Nakamori was fuming. Aoko stood abruptly and dashed for the door.

"AOKO! GET BACK HERE!" Aoko continued to run maneuvering her way through the pedestrians. In one large step, she burst through the hospital door. Sure enough he was there. Perched atop the adjacent building, like a giant white bird. Aoko laughed, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.

"Kaito!" she screamed, waving frantically. He smiled at her and leaped from the building, landing lightly in front of her. He extended a hand.

"Shall we?" Aoko smiled warmly and nodded, placing her hand in his. By the time inspector Nakamori had reached the door, Aoko had left. Swept up in the arms of a Phantom thief.

Aoko climbed down onto her bedroom balcony and turned to the kid who was crouched on the rails like a gargoyle of some sort.

"Thankyou." she nodded at him and turned to enter her room.

"Wait, Aoko!" She stopped dead in her tracks.

"What is i—Mff!" Aoko's words were cut off as she turned and was met at the lips by Kaito. She stood surprised as he slid his arms around her and pulled her close. He broke the kiss and looked her straight in the eye.

"Aoko, I've always loved you." Aoko's heart skipped a beat.

"I love you too..." Aoko replied, her hands brushing her lips. She felt as if her heart would burst. He stepped backwards and bowed, tipping his hat to her, hopped up onto the railings and flashed her a quick peace sign.

"See you at school tomorrow." he said, as if they were simply parting ways after walking home together.

Aoko giggled. "See you."


	3. Confectionary

"Hey hey! Ran-chan!" Ran glanced upwards from her notebook and smiled. It was the weekend and the weather was mild. For Ran ,it was time for some fresh air so she had decided to invest in some scenery drawing. Although the "scenery" she had drawn certainly wasn't visible at this current time to anyone else but her.

"Hi Sonoko!" She quickly slapped her book shut and stood to greet her friend. Sonoko skipped up to Ran, twirling in the process. At the end of her twirl she stomped her foot down and raised a hand with a large cheesy grin on her face. She bent forwards, staring at Ran's notebook.

"What're you drawing?" Ran's cheeks began to turn a rosy pink.

"Eheh umm...."

"Omigod, HEY SHINICHI!" Sonoko called, cupping he hands to her mouth. Ran spun round at the speed of light.

"Where? Where is he?"

"Gotcha!" By the time Ran had realized what was going on Sonoko was already thumbing through her book.

"_Dear Diary, Shinichi has been gone for so long now. I had a dream about him last night. He was sitting in his library reading his Conan Doyle books, that detective geek. But I was sitting beside him and he had his arms wrapped around me. Oh how I wish that Shini--_"

"STOP THAT!"

"_How I love him, my Shinichi~_" Sonoko danced around, half singing the passages from Ran's diary while maneuvering out of her friends desperate attempts to reclaim it.

"Sonoko!" Ran moaned in frustration "GIVE IT BACK!"

"_I had another dream where he was lying on top of me on my bed, undressing me--_"

"THERE'S NOTHING LIKE THAT IN THERE!"

"Oh wow! Ran! You're really good at drawing! You been practicing?" Ran blushed and extended a hand. She given up trying to reacquire her book through hostile means

"Give it back please..."

"Ooh, God! This picture is hot hot hot! You ever considered going into art?"

"Which picture!" Ran caught Sonoko off guard and swiftly rescued her notebook. As she feared Sonoko had stumbled across her most recent pencil drawing. A quick sketch of Shinichi in a tuxedo. Sonoko grinned as she peered over her embarrassed friends shoulder.

"Men look sexy in tux." Sonoko giggled. "You should sell that picture. I'd buy it."

"Tuxedos...Another one of your weird fetishes?" Ran retaliated.

"One of many."

Ran smirked and raised an eyebrow. Sonoko gave Ran several hearty slaps on the back.

"HAHAHA!" Ran glanced at her feet. Sonoko quickly slid her arm around Ran to comfort her, seeing she was a little upset by her actions. "Aww! I was just joking around Ran! C'mon lets go get crepes!" Ran's expression brightened. She smiled.

"Sure!"

Ran stared down at the half eaten crepe with two long chocolate pocky protruding from a generous mountain of vanilla ice-cream, scattered with banana slices and strawberries rolled in a pink cardboard cone and a cream yellow tissue and all she could think of was Shinichi. As her and her friend sat on the bench adjacent to a large cherry blossom tree watching the passers by, slowly Ran began to slip away into her memories. Sonoko's lips were moving but for some reason no sound seemed to be coming out. Ran suddenly saw herself and Shinichi, as young children, chasing one another throughout the tree's weaving and darting only stopping occasionally to taunt one another. Then she saw herself trip on the concrete and scar her knee. Shinichi rushed over to her and wiped the blood away with his own hands and stayed with her until Eri came to the two children bearing a plaster, a kiss better and two crepes. They sat together under the tree, their mouths covered in ice-cream giggling happily. These memories were so vivid to Ran, as if she were a spectator, sitting on this bench watching herself and Shinichi. She had to restrain herself from running out to them, for it would be all the more heartbreaking just to see them fade away as she returned to reality.

"Ran....RAN!" Ran jumped.

"Oh! You were saying something?" She laughed nervously.

"Yeah! What do you think?"

"What do I think about what?"

"Ugh, Never mind..." There was an awkward pause.

"You miss Shinichi, don't you?" Sonoko asked sympathetically.

"Mm-hmm." Ran nodded pouting a little.

"Aww, Diddums!" Sonoko patted her shoulder. She froze, hand still on Ran's shoulder, for a minute as if thinking what to do next.

"Ah!" She cried out "Karaoke!"

"What about karaoke?"

"I was gonna invite you guys to karaoke!" She slapped her forehead. "Gawd I am so dumb! I was gonna call you and tell you then I ran into you here and I completely forgot! I mean, haha, height of stupidity! So you'll come? Bring the friends!"

"Of course!"

Conan recoiled with a brief hiss of pain.

"Yowch!" He clasped his thumb, the blood trickling down his hand. "Damn paper cut..." Conan made a second attempt at folding the corner of the page to mark his spot, trying his best not to bloody the paper and slammed the book shut. He heard the door slam downstairs. That was probably Ran. Then came the _tmp tmp_ of her shoes hitting the floor in the entryway and the _swf swf_ of her sliding on her pink slippers. Then the clap of her slippers hitting the floor as she approached the room down the wooden floored corridor.

"Conan! You're bleeding!" Somehow he seemed to of missed her coming up behind her. Quickly he threw both his hands behind his back.

"It's just a paper cut!"

"Lemme see!" Ran reached, pulling Conan's hand forth and examined his injury. Suddenly she was flooded by her childhood memories which seemed to be haunting her a lot more than usual today. A scraped knee, a kiss better... Unconsciously she drew his bleeding finger to her lips and planted a light kiss on the cut. Anyone couldn't been forgiven for thinking someone had replaced Conan's head with a beetroot. Shocked, he jerked his finger from her grasp.

"Thatsplentybetternowthankyou!" Conan blurted running his words together. When he noticed Ran's confused stare he laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head unwinding his speech. "I'm going...to my...residence, I-I mean...room...to reeead....a book....now...." he spoke slowly dragging each word, as if he were making up this sentence word by word. He paced backwards, one slow step first then he turned on his heels and broke into a run. Ran stood wondering what she had done to bother him so. She crept down the corridor and pressed her ear up against Conan's door.

"Conan...?"

No reply. She wrapped lightly on the door with her palm.

"Conan, Are you okay?"

Still no answer.

"Conan!" Her voice became slightly irritated. She sighed. Her voice softened again.

"I'm coming in." Ran pushed the door open cautiously. She restrained a giggle when she saw Conan enveloped in his duvet, a cute sulking child, curled up on his futon.

"Conan, Whats wrong?" She crouched beside the little heap, resting her elbows on her legs. He continued to give her the silent treatment. Ran slid her hand across and peeled away the duvet slowly. Conan was on the inside, curled up like a hedgehog. She felt him jump as she ran her hand through his hair.

"Whats wrong? Do you feel sick?"

"I want..."

"You want...?"

"I want my old body back...and I want you..."

"Huh? Sorry, I couldn't hear you. Lemme see your face." Conan shook his head and let out an internal sigh of relief when he realized that he had almost let his secret slip and she hadn't heard it.

"What do you want?" Ran asked, rocking his shoulder gently.

"A cookie."

"A cookie?"

"Yeah, a cookie. And a glass of milk" Ran averted her eyes and clasped a hand to her mouth, stifling a snigger. Although she didn't fully understand why he would suddenly lock himself in his room and then demand a cookie, she stood and smiled at him even though she was sure he couldn't see it.

"We don't have any cookies but I could pop to the bakery. What flavor?"

"Chocolate." Ran giggled again and turned on her heels.

"I'll be back soon." Conan waited for the telltale sounds and then sat up, the duvet cascading from his shoulders.

"A cookie!? What the hell was I thinking! Peh! A cookie!?! Smooth Shinichi, REEALL SMOOTH!" He cursed aloud. "Whats more is I made Ran go to the trouble of buying me a cookie when I don't even want one!" He sat silent for a minute then buried his head in his hands. Why did this have to happen to him? Why? Why couldn't he of just controlled his curiosity? If he hadn't followed the man in black maybe he would've just walked home from Tropical Land with Ran and they would've said their goodbyes and maybe he would've told her how he felt...But no. He left her...He left her all alone for a lot longer than he'd planned. He hated himself for that. She didn't deserve to be put through so much worry. Whats more, he was sat next to her watching the entire time! And there was nothing he could do about it! Recently he had become increasingly longing for her. He would've taken her in his arms straight away if he wasn't trapped in this hell that was Conan Edogawa.

"Whats all this about a cookie?" Conan's head shot up from his hands. Standing in the doorway was his fellow prisoner Ai Haibara. Probably the only one who understood what he was going through right now. But...why was she here all of a sudden? Ai stared at him strangely, brushing a lock of hair from her eyes.

"Ha-Haibara!" Conan stammered. "What're you doing here?"

"I was bored."

"So...what is this all about cookies?" She made herself comfortable next to him on the futon. Conan couldn't be bothered denying anything.

"I cut my finger and then Ran kissed it better so I got all embarrassed and locked myself in here then when she came to ask what was wrong I demanded a cookie!" He facepalmed. An amused smirk stretched across Ai's face.

"Suppose being trapped in a kids body is getting to you ,huh?" Ai chuckled.

"You don't know the half of it. I'm going bloody insane." Ai smirked again.

"Then you'll be happy to know I have a little present for you."

"Ah-ha!" Conan extended a finger "I knew there was some hidden agenda! Come on out with it!"

"Sure you don't want to eat your cookie first before I give you this?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Ai reached into the pocket of her shorts and pulled out a small silver case and opened it to reveal two small white capsules.

"Is that...?!" Conan gasped.

"Mm-hm, The latest version of the antidote. It's still not final. Wanna try or do you want your cookie first?"

"Stop with the cookie thing please."

"Well?"

"Cookies can wait! Gimme that!" Conan eagerly grasped the capsule from the case which Ai then returned to her pocket. Conan raised it to his mouth.

"You wanna transform right here and now? What will Ran say when she finds you lying naked on Conan's futon without Conan present?" Conan hesitated, mouth still wide open. He slowly closed it, lowering the drug. He rotated the antidote between his fingers for a while before finally slipping it into his pocket. He smiled and nodded at Ai.

"Thankyou...Haibara." She smiled back.

"Enjoy your cookie." She teased as she rose to her feet and made her way towards the door. Conan heard the door slamming. Then it opened again a few seconds later. Ran skipped into the room bearing a brown paper bag with _Kimura-ya _written on it. Had she gone all the way to Ginza just for him? He blushed. The bag looked very bulky. Ran smiled at him warmly.

"You'll never guess what! They were having a special on cookies! Good luck or what?" Ran knelt beside him. "I passed Ai on the stairs. Did she come to see you?"

"Yeah." Conan fiddled with the antidote in his pocket. She handed him his cookie. Conan smiled and nodded.

"Chocolate for you." She took out another one. "And strawberry for me." She smiled. "Oh! Did I mention that Sonoko invited us to karaoke tonight?"

"Really?"

"Mm-hm! Thats why I bought so many cookies! I wanted to share them all with you guys tonight. You should call Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, Genta and Ai! See if they want to come! I should've asked her on the stairs but...Heh...You know me!"

"Better than you do yourself" Conan took a bite of his cookie. Although he hadn't been looking forward to it, he was suddenly enjoying this. Heck, why not karaoke? He slipped his hand in his pocket again. Perhaps he would find the right time to use the antidote. This time he was going to tell her how he really felt. It was now or never.

****

"-Mashimaro na onna no kooo~"

"Yay! Ayumi-chan!" Ran and Sonoko clapped and cheered as Ayumi re assumed her seat, setting the microphone down. Conan let out another sigh and glanced at his watch. Another hour of torture. So far all this karaoke session had been being stuck in this overheated and overcrowded room watching the Detective Boys cramming snacks down their pie holes and singing the theme tunes from kids anime while he sat and had to endure Ran and Sonoko's endless girl talk (He was pretty sure he heard the name Shinichi a couple of times). Ran set down her cola and clapped her hands together.

"Right, Enough of you kids! My turn!" she laughed.

"Yay! Ran-neechan!" the Detective boys cheered.

"Kick some ass!" Sonoko yelled pounding air with her fist. Conan sat upright on the sofa. Finally a little diversity. He had been waiting all evening to hear her sing. Ran cleared her throat and held the mic to her lips.

"Ummm...I don't know too many songs!" she giggled scratching the back of her head nervously. "But I do know this one and I would like do dedicate it to a very special person."

Conan twitched. Who?

"Yeah Shinichi!" Sonoko yelled and then ducked to avoid getting hit by the mic. Ran cleared her throat again as the music began to play. Then she began to sing.

_Don't stray, don't ever go away_

_I should be much too smart for this_

_You know it gets the better of me_

_Sometimes, when you and I collide_

_I fall into an ocean of you, pull me out in time_

_Don't let me drown, let me down_

_I say it's all because of you_

_And here I go, losing my control_

_I'm practicing your name so I can say it to your face_

_It doesn't seem right, to look you in the eye_

_Let all the things you mean to me_

_Come tumbling out my mouth_

_Indeed it's time to tell you why_

_I say it's infinitely true_

_Say you'll stay, don't come and go_

_Like you do_

_Sway my way, yeah I need to know_

_All about you_

_And there's no cure, and no way to be sure_

_Why every thing's turned inside out_

_Instilling so much doubt_

_It makes me so tired - I feel so uninspired_

_My head is battling with my heart_

_My logic has been torn apart_

_And now it all turns sour_

_Come sweeten every afternoon_

_Say you'll stay, don't come and go_

_Like you do_

_Sway my way, yeah I need to know_

_All about you_

_Say you'll stay, don't come and go_

_Like you do_

_Sway my way, yeah I need to know_

_All about you_

_It's all because of you_

_It's all because of you_

_Now it all turns sour, come sweeten every afternoon_

_It's time to tell you why, I say it's infinitely true_

_Say you'll stay, don't come and go_

_Like you do_

_Sway my way, yeah I need to know_

_All about you_

_Say you'll stay, don't come and go_

_Like you do_

_Sway my way, yeah I need to know_

_All about you_

_It's all because of you_

_It's all because of you_

_It's all because of you_

Everyone was cheering and Ran was dusting off her skirt and stepping down from the platform but Conan couldn't hear it. Everything was muted all of a sudden. He couldn't hear anything. Just the words of her song swirling in his head. He felt his heart wrenching in his chest, a lump forming in his throat. That song was for him. It was completely directed at him. He didn't realize that Ai had shuffled over the sofa and was now sitting by his side.

"Shot through the heart, eh?" she whispered. But Conan didn't answer for a while as he was trying to suppress the lump in his throat so Ai wouldn't hear the sadness in his voice. Eventually he replied: "I'm gonna sing now...I have to tell her..." Ai recoiled slowly, looking a little confused then she smirked.

"This should be amusing." Conan bounded from his seat, slapping on the happiest face he could find.

"My turn!" he sang, raising a hand. The group began to applaud. Ran handed the mic to him as he took the stage. "I'm not very good at singing but...I'll do my best! And I would also like to dedicate this to someone! A very special friend of mine." Ayumi blinked and slowly turned to Ai then back to Conan again. Ran looked surprised. "Ehah! It's from an anime I watched the other week." Conan laughed provoking laughter from the rest of the group all except Ran who was still trying to work out who it could be dedicated too.

_hyakunen buri no seikimatsu nake to iwarete boku wa waratta  
hisakata buri no seikimatsu hiroi sekai e tobi dashite yuku_

_eraku mo nai shi  
rippa demo nai  
wakatteru no wa mune no dokidoki  
kotae demo nai hontou demo nai  
shinjiteru no wa mune no dokidoki  
mune no dokidoki dake_

_kakkoii ka wa wakaranai kedo osae kirenai yume wo mitanda  
sakusen tatete jitto matsu yori kodomo no mama de butsukatte yuku_

_uchuu no hate ni hata wo tateta to shite mo  
uchuu no nazo wa wakaranai mama_

_eraku mo nai shi  
rippa demo nai  
wakatteru no wa mune no dokidoki  
kotae demo nai hontou demo nai  
shinjiteru no wa mune no dokidoki  
mune no dokidoki dake_

"Thankyou everyone for lending me your energy!" Conan laughed and the crowd went wild. He breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped down from the stage into the applause and hearty pats on the back from his audience. He hoped Ran had got his message. Unfortunately it didn't seem likely. Ai was taking a long swig from her glass of lemonade as he came to sit next to her. As soon as Conan had assumed his position, she quickly put the glass down on the table and smiled at him.

"Very smooth Conan." she sneered.

"Huh?"

"I saw your game."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Conan feigned ignorance.

"Your little love letter to Ran." Conan then began to laugh nervously.

"I was just singing...."

"Yes, But I noticed that you sung particular syllables out of key on purpose. It was pretty obvious. For a detective you sure aren't very subtle" _Damn!_ Conan cursed in his head. "I'll explain." Ai continued. "In the first verse you sang..."

_hyakunen buri no seikimatsu nake to iwarete boku wa wa**Ra**tta  
hisakata buri **n**o seikimatsu hiroi sekai e tobi dashite yuku_

_eraku mo n**ai shi**  
rippa demo nai  
wakat**teru** no wa mune no dokidoki  
kotae demo nai hontou demo nai  
shinjiteru no wa mune no dokidoki  
mune no dokidoki dake_

_kakkoii ka **wa** wakaranai kedo osae kirenai yume wo mi**ta**nda  
sakusen tatete jitto matsu yori kodomo no mama de butsukatte yuku_

_uchuu no hate ni hata wo tateta to **shi**te mo  
uchuu no nazo **wa** wakaranai mama_

_eraku mo nai shi  
rippa demo nai  
wakatteru no wa mune no dokidoki  
kotae demo nai hontou demo nai  
**shin**j**i**teru no wa mune no dokidoki  
mune no dokidoki dake_

"You were flat on all those syllables which were **Ra-n ai-shi-teru**. When combined they spell _Ran Aishiteru_ which means _Ran I love you_. Then in the next verse you sang **Wa-ta-shi-wa-shin-i **but unable to find the correct syllable to end your sentence you called out _Thankyou to everyone for lending me your energy! _And you yelled _energy_ particularly loud. Energy=**chi** right? Together they spell _Watashi wa Shinichi _meaning _I am Shinichi_. So in full your message to Ran translates _Ran I love you, I am Shinichi._" Ai crossed her arms looking very proud of herself. Conan burst out laughing. Indeed she had seen right through him.

"You never miss a trick do you, Haibara?"

"Well I can only hope she got the message."

"You should be a detective too." Conan joked but Ai wasn't amused at his attempt at humor. Then he noticed Ran was staring at him strangely. Conan wondered if she had got the message and more to the point what the hell would he do if she had? Her staring continued, making Conan a little uneasy.

"Conan?" she said finally.

"Ye-yes?!" He responded a little too quickly. She paused as if she had forgotten what to say.

"....That was a nice song." She didn't say anything else to him the rest of the time they were there.

It had grown very dark outside by the time they left. Sonoko, who had been gulping alcohol the whole evening staggered home while Ran and Conan dropped the tired Detective Boys off at their respective houses. Soon it was just him and Ran. The silence was deafening. As the two strolled the dark streets on Tokyo, hand in hand, Conan searched for something to break the awkward pause.

"Ran....Umm...Did you have fun...?"

"Yeah..." The silence continued. Then he heard a sniffle.

"Ran? Are you...crying?"

"No, I'm not!" she wept, trying but failing to hide that she was in tears. "...Okay. Yes I am. It's just that...I...I miss Shinichi." Conan breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps it was her own song that had provoked these memories. "He's been gone for so long! And I miss him so much! And the next time I see him I going to tell him exactly how I feel."

"....You feel...?" Conan pretended that he wasn't slightly excited.

"I love him!" Ran sobbed. Conan suddenly let go of her hand. Without another word he broke into a run.

"Conan! Come back!" Ran immediately began to follow him. To make sure she didn't catch up Conan pushed the button on his power sneakers to speed him up slightly but made sure he didn't loose sight of her. They ran and ran, Conan lead Ran followed. Conan realized they were drawing near to their destination and turned up the power on his sneakers. Ran stopped in her tracks. Conan had lead her straight to Shinichi's house.

The lock clicked shut. He sat himself on the toilet and began to fumble around in his pocket. Conan had left all the doors in his house unlocked except this one. The peered out the small window. His plan worked perfectly. Ran followed him right in. Conan's fingertips brushed the pill in his pocket. Hastily he grabbed it and shoved it in his mouth, letting out a loud gulp. _Please let this work... _Sure enough his chest began to ache, his body flaring up as if he had just been set alight. He let out a large groan before collapsing to the floor.

"Conan! Conan!"

All Shinichi could hear was Ran screaming and pounding the bathroom door. She had obviously heard him hit the ground. "Conan!" she called. "Conan! Are you OK in there? CONAN!" Shinichi groaned. He stared at his hands. It worked! The antidote really worked!

"Ran..." He whispered. He reached up to the handle but managed to stop himself as he realized....He was naked. He had completely forgotten to bring extra clothes into the bathroom.

"Ran!" He put on a surprised voice. "What are you doing in my house?" Ran was in mid knock but recoiled when she heard him. She stood in silence for a moment.

"Shi...Shinichi?" she gasped, her voice cracking.

"Yeah! Why are you here?"

"Oh! I um...I'll go!" He heard footsteps thundering outside.

"NO WAIT--" Quickly he tugged a towel from the rack and wrapped it around his waist, wetting his hair to make it look like he'd been in the shower. He flung the door open and dashed into the corridor. Ran was halfway down the stairs.

"RAN!" He called. Almost in slow motion Ran's speed declined as she rolled to a gentle stop. She turned.

"Shinichi?"

"Ran..." he smiled down at her. He felt his heart overflowing with joy as he saw her expression change, her cheeks gradually flushing a rosy pink, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "I..."

"Why are you in a bath towel?" The moment was ruined. Shinichi laughed nervously.

"Hahhahaaa....Well now see thing was....I was...counting forward from the last previous..." Ran stared up at him completely confused. "Haha...I was just taking a shower."

"But there's only a toilet and a sink in that room." There was an awkward pause.

"Well there's nothing more satisfying that walking around your house in a bath towel, mm-hm!" he nodded. Ran didn't look convinced. He smiled. Ran smiled. He laughed. Ran laughed. Soon the two were both in fits of laughter. Obviously neither of them had a clue what was going on. When the laughter finally faded Ran asked: "Have you seen Conan?"

"Yeah, he came in here. But he left out the back gate. He said he was going home. He'll meet you there." Shinichi immediately felt a pang of guilt for lying to her especially when he saw her relief.

"Come upstairs. I'll make you some tea." Ran smiled warmly.

"Ok."

Shinichi emerged from his en suite bathroom in a white shirt with a lot of the buttons undone, revealing quite a bit of his chest and some tight denim jeans. Ran blushed. He sat down beside her on the bed. Shinichi let out a large sigh and stretched his arms, lying back. Ran joined him, collapsing on the duvet beside him. The two stared at the ceiling for a moment.

"Shinichi?"

"Yeah?"

"Where have you been all this time...?"

"...A case."

"It can't be." Shinichi turned his head to look at her then rolled over.

"What do you mean."

"A case? It's been almost a year! Is it the same case!?" Her voice was breaking down a little.

"No! It's a series of very intricate cases overseas!" Ran crossed her arms and rolled over to face him.

"Why couldn't you come back and visit more often?"

"I'm here now aren't I?"

"I miss you so much when you're gone." Ran uncrossed her arms and lowered her head a little, curling up in a ball. If she was trying to look cute it was working.

"I mean like you're my best friend even if you are some dumb mystery otaku who would probably marry Sherlock Holmes if he was real but....we've known each other since childhood. Its like an unbreakable bond! Am I right?" She giggled

"Hey I would not marry Sherlock Holmes!"

"Y'know for the great Detective Shinichi Kudo you sure are a little thick."

"Hey!" Ran was the second person to tell him something like that this evening.

"Do you remember the time we had the crepes?"

"Crepes?"

"We were at the park and a cut my knee and mum came and gave us crepes."

"Oh yeah." Shinichi laughed nostalgically. "Those were good crepes." The two began to laugh.

"You cut your knee so bad, we almost took you to hospital."

"You went all pale I thought you were going to faint!"

"Hey, I'm used to blood. It doesn't faze me." There was a short pause. "I was just worried..." Ran blushed.

"Hey Shinichi....."

"Hmmm...." He smiled at her.

"Do you like me?"

"Of course I like you, you're my best friend!"

"No I mean..."

"Huh?" Ran blushed and averted her eyes.

"We've been together so long and...Don't you see how I feel?"

"You can't sucker me with that one again." Shinichi sniggered remembering back to their "date" at Tropical Land. Ran suddenly slid her hands out and took Shinichi's. His heart thumped. She was smiling at him warmly, her cheeks rosy. She took a deep breath.

"I was always afraid this would happen one day. For a while I was really confused and I didn't know how I really felt about you until you dissapeared it gave me a lot of time to think and now I realize...How much you've meant to me over these years, you've always been there. I mean sure you can be a pretty arrogant jerk but when push comes to shove you're always kind and dependable and so I...want to tell you that I, Ran Mouri....I...love you Shinichi." Seconds stretched to minutes. Shinichi was frozen.

"Ran...Do you mean that?" Ran nodded. Shinichi sat up straight and crawled towards where Ran was lying and positioned himself right next to her, their noses touching. Slowly he slid his arms around her and tugged her close forcing a small startled gasp out of Ran. As she raised her head Shinichi began to move his lips closer to hers.

"Shinichi..." she whimpered.

"Shhh..." he hushed seconds before planting a light kiss on her lips. He broke it for a second to look her in the eyes then returned, lunging forwards locking Ran in a deep kiss, gripping at her shoulders tight. Ran's eyes were wide with surprise but eventually her eyelids fell and she allowed herself to be swallowed by Shinichi's embrace. Suddenly Shinichi turned over so she now lay beneath him, his body above hers. Not wasting a second, he headed for her neck. His lips brushing her skin and making her hairs stand on end. Ran let out a squeak when Shinichi began to place kisses all along her neck and on her cheeks. His grip on her became for forceful and aggressive as he continued to kiss her. Ran felt his hand sliding up from her waist to the buttons of her shirt which he slowly began to unfasten.

"Shi-Shinichi wait--!" she pleaded but he wasn't listening. He slowly began to remove his own shirt. Ran's breath was completely taken way when he pulled her close in one swift motion, crushing their lips together in another kiss, this one much more deeper and much more passionate than the ones before. Shinichi slid his hand down to her belt which he unbuckled and threw to one side, then proceeded to remove her skirt. Ran took hold of both Shinichi's hands and intertwined her fingers with his.

"You don't know....how long...I've wanted to tell you how I feel...." Shinichi breathed in between kisses. "I...love you...". Ran's eyes were filled with tears which Shinichi brushed away with his thumbs. He smiled at her. No more words were spoken. Desire erasing all rational thoughts from Shinichi's head ,he quickly began to remove her remaining garments. Shinichi pulled the duvet over the couple as they embraced, kissing one another furiously stopping only to breath. When Shinichi held Ran close to his chest she could hear his heart pounding like a drumbeat alongside hers. So many years they had been simply "childhood friends" who were always longing for more so when they finally broke all barriers the feeling was indescribable. The feeling of his powerful body above hers, the way he caressed her tongue with his, his warm breath on her skin, the way he whispered her name. She felt as if they would be this way forever.


End file.
